VolGrad
12-02-2011, 11:41 AM
Most of us follow a natural progression from a complete noob to master ninja. We all travel at different speeds along that curve. It’s usually not a smooth progression. We go through patches of progress, reach a plateau, progress some more, plateau again, etc. The speed usually is a function of time, resources (guns, gear, & ammo), personal drive, online resources (however good or bad they might be), our peer group, quality training (or lack thereof), participation in gun games, etc. At some point many folks become content with where they are (or get complacent, there’s a difference IMO) and stop progressing completely. Content = I’m happy with my skills as they are now. Complacent = I don’t have the drive/time/resources/etc. to progress any further.
In the beginning most of us swap out guns & gear frequently trying to find what works best for us. Unfortunately, much of that is driven by marketing hype, Internet discussions, advice from our peers (good & bad), etc. Hopefully, this period is short lived and we find what works best for us and stick with it. Some stall out in this phase and continue to swap out guns & gear “‘cuz I want to.” These folks are not very serious about using a gun, just serious about carrying one. They like the idea of being able to defend themself but probably couldn’t actually do it if push came to shove.
No matter where you are on the previously mentioned curve there will always be folks you look to for information. Be careful not to fall into a cult following. This happens all over the Internet and is unfortunate. We can all name people or products that have a blind following because that’s what/who all the other “cool guys” do/use/listen to/etc. Following anything blindly makes you look foolish and gets you discounted in the eyes of others. Well, not completely true. The other followers will still think you are cool because you agree with them.
I will never “be” Ken Hackathorn, Larry Vickers, Todd Green, etc. However, I can study them & train with them with the goal of picking up something that works for me. What I’ve learned from these guys (and others) is to keep an open mind. Listen & learn. Try something before you dismiss it. You might be surprised at the results. Even though these guys are considered by most to be Jedi knights don’t fall into the cult follower category. Even they sometimes contradict one another so someone has to be wrong, right?
No matter where you are on the previously mentioned curve there will always be folks you think are idiots and not nearly as ninja as you are. It’s inevitable. Please don’t forget you were once “that guy” (no matter what you think) and try to help him out rather than calling him a fool. If you alienate him he might stall out and never become as ninja as you. Help a brother out until which point he proves he’s a douche bag rather than just uninformed. If he does prove to be a douche feel free to burn him down.
I won’t get into the “rotation” again. However, what I see as just as big of an issue … one I myself am guilty of … is gear swapping. To me this is just as much of an impediment than swapping guns. Many of us swap from IWB to OWB and perhaps even AIWB depending on the day/attire/occasion. I have read many DIScussions (see what I did there?) of this practice and the criticism is valid. I generally claim I am aware of where my gun is and kid myself when the S is HTF I will instinctively grab for the right place. The fact is I have no idea what I would/will do. The biggest issue I’d face is probably clearing my cover garment. I am one of those lamo guys that carries IWB/OWB under a regular old shirt (not open faced, therefore I have to pull my shirt UP to clear kydex). However, in training classes I generally OC OWB (no cover garment) and in IDPA I generally CC OWB (open faced tactical fishing vest). This is F’d up and I know it. I’m working on that now … figuring out what I want/need to do to correct this, on my part.
I had a bunch of stuff typed out about Joe Civilian who shows up to a beginner/intermediate level training class in fatigues, chest rig, shemagh, etc. This guy also eats MREs during break. I figured I better let that one go for now. That discussion is for another time & place.
Sorry for the rambling. I think my main point is that Ninja B thinks he is better than Ninja A. At the same time Ninja C thinks he is better than both Ninja A & B. Ninja D is better than them all. My point is to not take yourself so serious you forget where you came from or in what direction you should be heading. At some point we were all Ninja A.
Feel free to post your own thoughts.
In the beginning most of us swap out guns & gear frequently trying to find what works best for us. Unfortunately, much of that is driven by marketing hype, Internet discussions, advice from our peers (good & bad), etc. Hopefully, this period is short lived and we find what works best for us and stick with it. Some stall out in this phase and continue to swap out guns & gear “‘cuz I want to.” These folks are not very serious about using a gun, just serious about carrying one. They like the idea of being able to defend themself but probably couldn’t actually do it if push came to shove.
No matter where you are on the previously mentioned curve there will always be folks you look to for information. Be careful not to fall into a cult following. This happens all over the Internet and is unfortunate. We can all name people or products that have a blind following because that’s what/who all the other “cool guys” do/use/listen to/etc. Following anything blindly makes you look foolish and gets you discounted in the eyes of others. Well, not completely true. The other followers will still think you are cool because you agree with them.
I will never “be” Ken Hackathorn, Larry Vickers, Todd Green, etc. However, I can study them & train with them with the goal of picking up something that works for me. What I’ve learned from these guys (and others) is to keep an open mind. Listen & learn. Try something before you dismiss it. You might be surprised at the results. Even though these guys are considered by most to be Jedi knights don’t fall into the cult follower category. Even they sometimes contradict one another so someone has to be wrong, right?
No matter where you are on the previously mentioned curve there will always be folks you think are idiots and not nearly as ninja as you are. It’s inevitable. Please don’t forget you were once “that guy” (no matter what you think) and try to help him out rather than calling him a fool. If you alienate him he might stall out and never become as ninja as you. Help a brother out until which point he proves he’s a douche bag rather than just uninformed. If he does prove to be a douche feel free to burn him down.
I won’t get into the “rotation” again. However, what I see as just as big of an issue … one I myself am guilty of … is gear swapping. To me this is just as much of an impediment than swapping guns. Many of us swap from IWB to OWB and perhaps even AIWB depending on the day/attire/occasion. I have read many DIScussions (see what I did there?) of this practice and the criticism is valid. I generally claim I am aware of where my gun is and kid myself when the S is HTF I will instinctively grab for the right place. The fact is I have no idea what I would/will do. The biggest issue I’d face is probably clearing my cover garment. I am one of those lamo guys that carries IWB/OWB under a regular old shirt (not open faced, therefore I have to pull my shirt UP to clear kydex). However, in training classes I generally OC OWB (no cover garment) and in IDPA I generally CC OWB (open faced tactical fishing vest). This is F’d up and I know it. I’m working on that now … figuring out what I want/need to do to correct this, on my part.
I had a bunch of stuff typed out about Joe Civilian who shows up to a beginner/intermediate level training class in fatigues, chest rig, shemagh, etc. This guy also eats MREs during break. I figured I better let that one go for now. That discussion is for another time & place.
Sorry for the rambling. I think my main point is that Ninja B thinks he is better than Ninja A. At the same time Ninja C thinks he is better than both Ninja A & B. Ninja D is better than them all. My point is to not take yourself so serious you forget where you came from or in what direction you should be heading. At some point we were all Ninja A.
Feel free to post your own thoughts.